Required Text: Southwick, C. 1996. Global Ecology in Human Perspective

We have made some changes to the syllabus for the second half of the course (Parts III and IV). Most changes are minor. We have reduced the assignments (by making some shorter and deleting others), and modified the context of some sections. The topics and readings for weeks 11 &12 have been reversed (due to constraints of one of our guest speakers). Three guest speakers have been added. Please be sure to replace these sections of your original syllabus with this revised version.

The readings listed below come from 4 different sources:

1. Readings from a book called, "Whose common Future? Reclaiming the commons" are available in a coursepack, which is ready at Excel Coursepacks, 1117 S. University (above Ulrich's Arts & Electronics). Phone: 996-1500. Hours: M-Th, 11-9; Fri & Sat: 11-5; Sun, noon-5. You will need the coursepack for readings that should be done by Oct. 31; other readings form the coursepack are assigned for later weeks. These readings are marked with an asterisk, below.

2. Readings from a book called "Luxury Fever," available in paperback at Shaman Drum Bookstore on State St. You will need this book for readings that should be done by Tues. Nov. 14. These readings are marked with a double asterisk.

3. Some readings are available at their own website. If you see a website listed after a reading, that's where you'll find it.

4. The remainder of the readings (no asterisks, no website given) are posted on the course reserves website (as before).

Please note that there will be a brief quiz on Tuesday, Oct. 24, on the first 2 readings listed under week 7 and that your "Integrative essay" assignment is also due that day.

Sept. 7 Introduction

Part I. Earth as a life support system

Week 1, Sept. 12, 14: Atmosphere, climate, geology

Readings:

Southwick, C. 1996. Global Ecology in Human Perspective, Intro., Chs. 1-3

Orr, David. 1994. Earth in Mind, Ch. 1, What is education for?

Hunt, Lynn. 1998. Send in the clouds. New Scientist 30 May 1998: 28-33

Sections: First sections meet

Assignment: Essay 1: My relationship to the natural world; what is "the environment"?

Week 2, Sept. 19, 21: Ecosystems and biodiversity

Readings:

Southwick, C. 1996. Global Ecology in Human Perspective, Chs. 4-7

G.C. Daily et al., 1999. Ecosystem services: Benefits supplied to human societies by natural ecosystems. Ecological Society of America, http://esa.sdsc.edu/issues.htm (Issues in Ecology, No. 1)

Along the Huron, (Natural Area Preservation Division, Dept. of Parks and Recreation, City of Ann Arbor), Reading the landscape, pp. 7-17

Sections: Field trip to Nichols Arboretum: landforms, glacial history, soils, vegetation

Assignment: Report on field exercise (mapping, habitats)

Week 3, Sept. 26, 28: The environmental crisis

Readings:

Southwick, C. 1996. Global Ecology in Human Perspective, Chs. 8, 13, 9, 10

Vitousek et al., 1999. Human alteration of the global nitrogen cycle: Causes and consequences, http://esa.sdsc.edu/issues.htm (Issues in Ecology, No. 1)

Meadows, D., The Global Citizen, http://iisd1.iisd.ca/pcdf/meadows, Things are getting worse at a slower rate, June 29, 2000

Along the Huron (Natural Area Preservation Division, Dept. of Parks and Recreation, City of Ann Arbor), Components of the natural communities, pp. 19-28, 46-48, 52-53

Sections: Discussion: Biodiversity and the environmental crisis

Assignment: Outside class field trip to farmer's market and local supermarket

Part II. Local and global commons

Week 4, Oct. 3, 5: Population and food supply

Readings:

Southwick, C. 1996. Global Ecology in Human Perspective, Chs. 14-16

Meadows, D., The Global Citizen, http://iisd1.iisd.ca/pcdf/meadows, Six billion of us: Boo? Hurray?, Oct. 7, 1999; A nasty campaign against organic foods, Mar. 9, 2000

Lappe, F.M. et al., World Hunger: Twelve Myths, pp. 1-7, Ch. 1

Sections: Discussion of field trip and population growth

Assignment: Ecological footprint exercise about food

Week 5, Oct. 10,12: Climate change and water (rivers, lakes, oceans, fisheries)

Readings:

Southwick, C. 1996. Global Ecology in Human Perspective, Chs. 18-19

Karl, T.R. and K.E. Trenberth, 1999. The human impact on climate. Scientific American, Dec. 1999: 100-105

Sections: Field trip: Huron River or Fleming Creek/Matthei Botanical Gardens: aquatic biodiversity survey

Assignment: Small group proposals for sustainable management of the Huron River

Week 6, Oct. 17, 19: Biodiversity and forests

Readings:

Southwick, C. 1996. Global Ecology in Human Perspective, Chs. 12, 20

Carson, R. 1962. Silent Spring. Ch. 7, "Needless havoc"

Vandermeer, J. and I. Perfecto. 1995. The multiple faces of agriculture in the modern world system, Breakfast of Biodiversity, Ch. 5

Snyder, G. 1990. "Ancient forests of the far West," The Practice of the Wild

Meadows, D., The Global Citizen, http://iisd1.iisd.ca/pcdf/meadows, The forest is more than a collection of trees, Jul. 8, 1999

Sections: Discussion of field trip, group proposals, and biodiversity

Assignment: Essays: Climate, water, & biodiversity

Part III. How did we get here? Evolutionary perspectives on human-environment relations

Week 7, Oct. 24, 26: Human nature and the "tragedy of the commons"

Readings:

Ridley, Matt. 1993. The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature. Chapter 1 "Human Nature" (pp. 2-21)

Dawkins, Richard. 1989. The Selfish Gene (New Edition). Chapter 1, "Why are people?" (pp. 1-11) and Chapter 2, "The replicators" (pp. 12-20).

Ridley, Matt. 1996. The Origins of Virtue: Human Instincts and the Evolution of Cooperation. Chapter 3, "The prisoner's dilemma" (pp. 51-66) and excerpts from Chapter 4, "Telling Hawks from Doves" (excerpts: pp. 80-84).

Hardin, Garrett. 1968 The tragedy of the commons. Science 162:1243-1248. http://www.soilandhealth.org/03sovereigntylibrary/0303%20soccriticismlibrary/030303commons.html

Sections: "Games" played in section to clarify this weeks concepts

Assignment: Brief report on exercises in section, due Tues. 10/31

Week 8, Oct. 31, Nov. 2: The real tragedy: Destruction of the commons

Readings:

Snyder, Gary. 1990. The Practice of the Wild. Excerpt from Chapter 2. "The place, the region, and the commons," (pp. 25-44).

Monbiot, G. 1994. The tragedy of enclosure. Scientific American, January 1994, p. 159.

* The Ecologist (group author). 1993. Whose Common Future? Reclaiming the Commons. "Introduction" (pp. 1-3); Chapter 2, "Development as enclosure: the establishment of the global economy" (pp. 21-58); Chapter 3, "The encompassing web: the ramifications of enclosure" (pp. 59-73).

Sections: "Games" played in section to clarify this weeks concepts

Assignment: Brief report on exercises in section, due Tues. 11/7

Week 9, Nov. 7, 9: Sustainability: Protecting and reviving the local commons: theory and case studies

Readings:

Ridley, Matt. 1996. The Origins of Virtue: Human Instincts and the Evolution of Cooperation. Chapter 12, "The power of property" (pp. 227-246).

Ostrom, Elinor, Gardner, Roy, and Walker, James. 1994. Rules, Games, and Common-Pool Resources. Chapter 12, "Rules, rule making, and rule breaking: Examining the fit between rule systems and resource use" (pp. 267-282).

Ostrom, Elinor. 1990. Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action. Excerpt from Chapter 3, "Analyzing long-enduring, self-organized, and self-governed CPRs," (excerpt, "Similaritites among eduring, self-governing CPR institutions" pp. 88-102).

* The Ecologist (group author). 1993. Whose Common Future? Reclaiming the Commons. Chapter 6, "Reclaiming the Commons" (pp. 172-195).

 

Nov. 7: Guest lecture by Bobbi Low, Professor, SNRE

Nov. 9: Please note: during the last 20 minutes of class, critical information for your group projects will be provided

Sections: Begin working on group project

Assignment: Essay on consumerism due Tues, Nov. 14

Part IV. The social, economic, and political context

Week 10, Nov. 14, 16: Consumption

Readings:

Durning, A. T. 1995. "Are we happy yet?" In Ecopsychology, T. Roszak, M. Gomes, and A. Kramer, eds., pp. 68-76

** Frank, Robert H. 1999. Luxury Fever: Why Money Fails to Satisfy in an Era of Excess. Chapter 1, "money well spent?" (pp. 1-13); Chapter 4, "The price of luxury" (pp. 45-63); excerpt from Chapter 9, "Why context and position are so important" (excerpt: pp. 122-135); Chapter 10, "Smart for one, dumb for all" (pp. 146-158); Chapter 14, "Luxury without apology" (pp. 207-226); Chapter 16, "We can't afford it?" (pp. 251-265); and Chapter 17, "Cash on the table" (pp. 266-279).

Meadows, D., The Global Citizen, http://iisd1.iisd.ca/pcdf/meadows, Close encounters with a lifetime of stuff, Dec. 9, 1999

Nov. 14: Guest lecture by Congresswoman Lynne Rivers

 Sections: Discussion on Consumerism Essay; evaluate advertisements

Assignment: Written outline by each group on Group Projects, due Tues., Nov 28 (in 2 weeks)

Week 11, Nov. 21: Industry, business, and the environment (Thanksgiving week)

Readings:

Southwick, C. 1996. Global Ecology in Human Perspective, Ch. 26

Bray, D. 1999. A bird in the cup. Orion Afield, Winter 1999, pp. 30-35.

William McDonough and Michael Braungart," The next industrial revolution," Atlantic Monthly, http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/98oct/industry.htm

 

 Sections: Continue working on Group Projects

Assignment: Same as week 10

Week 12, Nov. 28, 30: Rich and poor: Politics and the environment

Readings:

Southwick, C. 1996. Global Ecology in Human Perspective. Chs. 21-22

* The Ecologist (group author). 1993. Whose Common Future? Reclaiming the Commons. Chapter 4, "Power: the central issue" (pp. 74-92).

Meadows, D., The Global Citizen, http://iisd1.iisd.ca/pcdf/meadows, Why Greens don’t love the WTO, Nov. 25, 1999

 

Sections: Continue working on Group Projects

Assignment: Essay: Ethics and the environment: a personal perspective, due Thurs., Dec. 7 (Students will post these essays, anonymously if they wish, on the course website; they will be discussed week 14).

Part V. What Really Matters?

Week 13, Dec. 5, 7: Environmental ethics, spirituality, and ecology (readings are not yet final)

Readings:

Southwick, C. 1996. Global Ecology in Human Perspective, Ch. 27

Leopold, Aldo. 1949. The land ethic (from A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There).

Schumacher, E.F. 1997. This I Believe and other Essays. Chapter 3, "Buddhist economics." (pp. 35-43)

Berry, Thomas. 1994. The Dream of the Earth. Excerpts.

Sections: Continue work on group project AND discussion of environmental ethics for the 21st century.

Assignments:

(1) Written report on Group Projects due in class, Tues. Dec. 12

(2) Brief oral presentation of Group Projects must be ready for class, Tues. Dec 12

(3) Brief individual essays on Group Projects due Mon., Dec. 18

Week 14, Dec. 12: Looking forward (last class meeting)

Readings:

Student essays assigned previous week and posted on course website

Whole class discussion on topic of essay due last week on "Ethics, values & the environment."

Group projects due: In-class oral reports on Group Projects

Whether sections meet this week will be determined by the class

Week 15, Dec. 18 (after classes end)

Individual essay on Group Projects due Monday, Dec. 18, in Elizabeth's mailbox